From a distance, Yu sat watching Satoru and Amuro struggling with the baby girl in their arms before turning her gaze toward Mina.
By contrast, Mina looked perfectly calm. Or at least, she appeared to be. Mina lifted her teacup, inhaled its aroma, and took a sip, savoring it with the manner of someone both refined and knowledgeable.
"So it isn't fresh vối leaves after all... The taste suffers a bit because of that."
For someone whose face was usually as expressionless as Yu's, she still could not help but let out a sigh.
"Mina, bringing that child here really puts me in an awkward position."
Hearing that, Mina seemed to pause for a moment. She lowered the teacup while maintaining her composed and elegant demeanor. Then she smiled faintly.
"My mistake. But let's think about this logically. She's Valko's daughter... and also a legitimate blood descendant of the Jou family. If I don't bring her to you, then who exactly am I supposed to bring her to?"
Yu slowly closed her eyes and frowned slightly.
"How do you know she's Valko's daughter?"
Mina calmly took another sip of tea.
"I secretly had a DNA test done."
"You didn't take her to a hospital?" Yu suddenly interrupted her.
The smile on Mina's face immediately disappeared. She looked at Yu with a seriousness so cold it was unsettling.
"So everyone can find out that my ex-husband had an illegitimate daughter? I'm not stupid."
Seeing Yu fall silent at her blunt response, Mina softened her tone slightly.
"I know. Back then we used the rumors of his affair to get rid of him. But the situation now is different from what it was then. I can't allow information like this to damage the reputation of the Kamakiri family. And..."
Mina suddenly stopped. When she spoke again, her voice carried a trace of pain.
"If I tried to keep this child, it would be deeply unfair to Duyen. I want to spend this entire lifetime making things up to her. If I ever decide to have children, I want them to carry both my blood and hers. You're asking me to raise a child that doesn't share even a drop of blood with me?"
Yu gently shook her head. Mina was still Mina. Her views on love, and the intensity of her attachment, remained something ordinary people could hardly understand, let alone reach. Then Yu spoke again.
"What do Duyen and Shana think? Do they feel the same way you do?"
Mina suddenly stiffened slightly and looked away.
"...They seem to like the baby instead. Last night, Duyen stayed awake the entire night taking care of her..."
Yu nodded slowly.
"I understand. You don't want the child, and I understand your reasons. If she truly is Valko's daughter, then the responsibility of caring for her should fall to me. But looking at it another way... she's only a few months old. Shouldn't she be with her mother all the time?"
Mina nodded in agreement. Yu had a point. Eri should have been by the baby's side. No matter how irresponsible she might have been. However, because of her impulsive actions, Eri had recently been sentenced to twelve months in prison and banned from returning to Vietnam for several years. Yu continued.
"If we return the baby to her now, then the child will grow up in prison. I'll provide as much financial support as possible for her while she's incarcerated and after she's released so she can raise the child. The problem is... does she actually want that?"
As she spoke, Yu raised Eri's handwritten letter.
"...She made it very clear in this letter that she doesn't want the baby carrying the Jou family name. Or having anything to do with our family at all."
Mina frowned and let out a bitter, irritated laugh.
"She acts like she has the right to make that decision."
"She hated Valko. That's understandable. And now she hates my family as well. But what I've been wondering is why she thinks the child should be raised by you." Yu said.
Mina closed her eyes. She did not want to think about it anymore. Nor did she want to speculate. But one thing was clear. She wanted this child out of her territory as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, both women sensed a powerful presence entering the grand hall. The sharp sound of high heels echoed through the room, impossible to ignore. Mina looked genuinely surprised when she saw who had arrived.
Shana and Duyen.
Even Amuro and Satoru seemed overwhelmed by their presence. However, Duyen simply walked over to Amuro. Apparently she only wanted to check on the baby.
Perhaps due to patience and experience from having cared for children before, the baby had already fallen asleep in Amuro's arms.
At first, Duyen wanted to take the baby from him, but Amuro gently stopped her.
"Miss Duyen, there's no need to worry. I can hold the baby just fine. You should go talk to the my lady."
Duyen understood immediately. When she turned around, Mina and Yu were already approaching her.
Mina's face showed surprise, along with a trace of discomfort in her chest when her eyes accidentally landed on the baby.
Duyen noticed it. Mina simply did not like this child. Or perhaps the wounds of the past prevented her from allowing herself to be soft toward her.
"Duyen... how did you know I was here? You— it was you, wasn't it?"
Mina glared at Shana with a cold and threatening expression. Shana merely raised an eyebrow and smirked while placing her hands on her hips.
"So what if I told Duyen? Early this morning you secretly took the baby away without telling anyone and disappeared. Of course we were worried."
Mina rubbed the space between her eyebrows helplessly.
"...You make it sound like I was going to do something to hurt the child."
But Duyen shook her head gently.
"No, Mina. I know you're not that kind of person. But at the very least, whatever idea you had, you should have discussed it with us first."
Hearing that, Mina looked guilty. She stepped closer to Duyen and intertwined their fingers together.
"I'm sorry... But please trust me. I was only... trying to find a way to help the baby without affecting our private lives. After all, neither you nor I have any obligation toward her."
Duyen wanted to argue, but Mina's reasoning made sense. She simply nodded and looked toward Yu.
"You think because she's Valko's daughter, she should be brought to Yu?"
Yu seemed startled to suddenly be dragged into the conversation. She hurriedly clarified.
"Actually, we were planning to return the child to her mother."
"In prison?" Duyen frowned. "And do you think they'll really take good care of a baby there?"
Yu was suddenly speechless. Mina immediately stepped in with a smile that suggested the answer should have been obvious.
"Don't panic just because you hear the word prison. They'll definitely provide her with the best care possible and arrange for an appropriate hospital."
But Duyen was not convinced.
"...But wasn't the whole point that the baby should be close to her mother?"
Nobody could answer that with certainty. Prison conditions would still be difficult and restrictive. And Eri's case was unusual enough that keeping the baby with her constantly would inevitably create hardships for the child.
But if they didn't give the child back to Eri—
Then what were they supposed to do?
Mina shook her head and declared firmly,
"I've already made my decision. Give the baby back to her mother. That's what's best."
Yu nodded in agreement.
"Eri's trial will take place this November. I'll hire the best lawyers possible to reduce her sentence and help her get out sooner. That way the baby can be with her mother."
From a practical standpoint, it was a reasonable solution. Yet the way they spoke about it bothered Duyen. As if the child were merely an object being passed from one person to another. Even though they genuinely wanted what was best for both Eri and the baby.
And something deep inside Duyen made her feel unbearably guilty.
Shana noticed Duyen's troubled expression almost immediately. She had already sensed that there was more to this matter than anyone was saying. Then she suddenly spoke, though her tone sounded almost casual.
"So there's still an entire month left... Honestly, taking care of the baby for a month doesn't sound so bad."
Mina immediately became angry. She snapped at Shana so sharply that Amuro hurriedly covered the baby's ears and carried her farther away.
"Can you stop acting like everything is that simple!? Raise a baby!? Can you do that!? Are you her mother!? Stop sticking your nose into everything and stop creating more burdens for Duyen, would you!?"
"Mina..."
Duyen immediately interrupted to stop her. But Mina remained stubborn. Shana merely looked back at her with her usual lazy yet seductive eyes.
"Experience? I have plenty of that. Financially speaking, all of us are more than capable of raising a child."
Mina growled. She stepped forward and pointed directly at Shana's face, her eyes glowing with fiery orange-red light.
"This isn't a game, Shana. If you're looking for some new source of entertainment, go somewhere else..."
"Mina, Shana, please don't!"
Duyen placed her hands on both of their shoulders and pushed them apart, preventing an unnecessary fight from breaking out. But Shana looked almost pleased by Mina's anger. She smirked confidently.
"The problem is you, Mina. What exactly are you afraid of? Is a baby really that dangerous to you?"
Faced with that question, Mina could not answer immediately. Still, she firmly repeated herself.
"I just don't want Duyen dealing with unnecessary trouble. Is that okay? Are you satisfied now? Yes, that's exactly what I think. To me, this is a burden."
Those words caused everyone to fall silent.
But Shana showed no surprise whatsoever. Her expression did not change in the slightest. She simply lifted her chin and crossed her arms.
"If that's the case... then I have a solution."
Mina frowned. What exactly was she trying to say?
Duyen also looked over in surprise.
"A solution?"
---
The place where they were standing was practically a miniature community, built with rows of traditional Japanese-style houses scattered throughout the area. The grand architecture gave the impression of a castle town, resting upon lush green Japanese grasslands.
This entire compound was under the management and protection of the Wang family. It was spacious enough to function as a small community of its own.
Originally, it had been created so that the women of the Mist Village could come here and live in safety.
Women moved about everywhere around them. Some were farming, some were training in martial arts. Most of them had begun dressing more modestly, wearing modified kimono and furisode, though there were still some who chose to respect their culture's openness toward clothing and the human body.
Only one thing had disappeared—The fox masks were no longer present.
This place was now known as a new alliance between the Shigonami Fox House and the Wang family. It was hard to believe, but somehow they had quickly found common ground with one another and chosen to cooperate, living together under the same roof.
Amidst the luxurious and magnificent city of Starfall, an entire army of women had quietly been established here and now lived in secret within these grounds.
Every time Duyen came here, she felt overwhelmed. The air here was incredibly fresh, unlike the air outside the city, and the atmosphere carried a completely different vibe from the Mist Village. Here, the women loved and supported one another like one enormous family.
...Just as Shana had said, they really could raise a child in an ideal environment like this.
As Duyen was thinking that, Haru, Hasuko, and several other important and beautiful women appeared. They wore fitted black suits that hugged their bodies closely. Hanging at their waists were katanas forged specifically for them, each with elegant and intricate curved designs.
Duyen smiled. She knew exactly who had crafted those weapons.
"Haru, Hasuko!"
They exchanged warm hugs and cheek kisses. Haru and Hasuko bowed respectfully toward Shana and Mina, who stood beside her. However, Mina did not seem to be in the mood to return the greeting, and they could only shrug in response.
At the same moment, a beautiful woman approached while holding hands with a little girl. The baby girl, having been fed until she was full, was now sleeping peacefully in the woman's arms.
Duyen looked confused and was about to ask about it, but Haru answered first with an elegant smile.
"In our fox community, we always take care of one another, including newly born members. The baby was fed by us earlier. You can rest assured."
Duyen let out a sigh of relief upon hearing that. Meanwhile, Shana laughed triumphantly and turned toward Mina.
"Well? Is this enough to meet your standards now?"
Mina merely let out a quiet snort and gave no answer. Instead, she turned and wrapped an arm around Duyen as though she could not be bothered to concern herself with the matter any further.
Duyen could only smile awkwardly. Indeed, if Haru's people were the ones taking care of the child, then there really was no need for them to stay by the baby's side all the time—
Exactly as Mina had wanted.
And yet, somewhere deep down, Duyen still felt a small sense of regret.
Haru then continued speaking.
"After all, this is the first time we've ever directly cared for a human baby. The child's mother doesn't want to raise her, which is rather heartbreaking to hear. I was only thinking that if there were someone... some human presence... staying close to the child, perhaps..."
Hearing that, Duyen's eyes brightened slightly. She was about to say something—
But Mina immediately grabbed her hand.
"Okay, got it. The baby already has professionals like you taking care of her. That means the matter is settled. Can we go home now?"
Haru had to admit she was somewhat annoyed at being interrupted by Mina. However, her expression did not change in the slightest. She maintained the same gentle smile as she turned toward Duyen.
"Come visit us often, Duyen."
Duyen smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I will."
Needless to say, Mina understood perfectly well what was hidden behind those words. She firmly grabbed Duyen's hand and pulled her away before Duyen even had the chance to say goodbye.
Shana and Amuro were left some distance behind. The two looked at each other…
Amuro slowly turned his gaze around the place where he stood for a moment. Then his eyes settled upon an empty patch of land nearby.